Tag Archives: Pension Savings

What value would an Annuity bring to you?

We are living for longer today than ever before. At the same time, the cost of living is ever rising. Changing social and economic factors mean that planning your finances during retirement has become more important than ever before. After all, retirement is known as the golden period, when one should be able to enjoy the fruits of life’s labour. It is therefore vital to plan carefully and optimise your financial assets to provide for you when you stop working. Things like annuity value prove to be immensely significant during retirement, as an annuity is one of the most important, and often the only source of income for pensioners.

An annuity provides a regular and steady income in exchange for a lump sum. People usually invest their pension savings into an annuity scheme, which then pays out an income either for as long as you live, or for a pre-agreed period of time. How much income an annuity can offer you, or Annuity Value, depends on the size of your annuity fund, which is the amount invested in the annuity, as well as various other factors.

The most important factors that determines annuity value is the type of annuity you choose to invest in and the current annuity rates. Other factors include age, gender, and location. Depending on your health and lifestyle, you could also be eligible for an enhanced annuity, which has a higher annuity value based on the shorter than average life expectancy of the applicant.

Often an annuity is the only source of income during retirement, and so choosing the right annuity with sufficient annuity value is extremely important. Once you buy an annuity it cannot be changed or cancelled – so it is important to make the correct decision the first time around. An annuity offers a chance to make the most of your life savings, but choosing an annuity that underperforms or does not suit your needs could mean losing your life savings to an ineffective investment.

It is imperative to shop around and use the open market option to find the most suitable annuity with a sufficient annuity value. You can consult an independent financial advisor with expertise in the retirement sector to understand the implications of investing in different types of annuities and choosing the best option. You can also use online tools like annuity calculators etc. to find out the best annuity value you could get in exchange for your annuity fund.

Save Thousands a Year by Using the Open Market Option!

The open market option is the right of the consumer to shop around before choosing an annuity. An annuity cannot be changed or cancelled once it has been bought – so it is immensely important to choose correctly the first time around! After all, an annuity can have an impact on your financial security for the rest of your life, and is therefore one of the most significant financial investments in life.

Research shows that a huge proportion of people are not aware of the open market option and that many people still continue to commit to the first offer made to them by their existing pension provider. This is not to say that the offer made by your pension provider will not be competitive. But according to some research, shopping around could help you get up to 20% more income than your existing provider, depending on which annuity and provider you choose, and an impaired or enhanced annuity could mean getting up to 46% more! Using the Open Market Option and shopping around for the best annuity scheme can therefore help you to save thousands of pounds over the year and a vastly significant amount of money over time.

There are many different types of annuities and choosing the most suitable annuity can seem a bit daunting. This is probably why some people simply choose to stick with their existing pension provider for an annuity. But thanks to all the information, resources and tools available today, understanding the annuity market and making an informed choice is not difficult at all.

There are many comparison and advice websites out there which can offer objective information about different types of annuities. You can learn about fixed annuity options, variable annuity options, as well as different bells and whistles that you can choose to add to an annuity. You can also use online tools like the pension calculator, to work out the maximum income you can get for your pension savings lump sum. These free tools and resources can really help you make the best of the open market option. Most insurance companies and annuity providers also offer lots of information on their websites, as well as offering free instant quotes based on your individual case.

Shopping around and using the open market option has never been easier or more convenient than it is today, thanks to the wealth of resources and information available. If you need more help and guidance when choosing, you can also consult an independent financial advisor. In fact, for certain types of annuities, such as investment linked or escalating annuities, it is essential to take independent advice from an expert. An IFA can help you understand your own needs, different products and how they work, and ultimately make a considered decision.

Create Your Own Bespoke Annuity

An annuity is a way to turn pension savings into regular usable income for the rest of your life, or for a pre agreed period of time. Usually, an annuity is bought with a lump sum from the pension pot, and the size of the lump sum will determine how much income you could get back from the annuity. But annuity income also depends on a number of other factors including age, gender, location, health, the kind of annuity you choose, and of course current annuity rates.

Your pension provider is obligated to make an annuity offer to you; however, you have the right to explore the open market before making a choice. This is known as the open market option and your pension provider is required to make you aware of this path. Shopping around for an Annuity can help you understand the various types of annuities that are available from a multitude of annuity providers.

For instance, there are fixed annuities that pay a fixed income for the entire term of the annuity, and variable annuities such as escalating or investment linked annuities where the income you receive from the annuity varies over time due to several external factors. While a fixed, stable, guaranteed income may work for some people, others may like to have income that is linked to inflation or income that is linked to an external investment product.

An annuity once purchased cannot be changed or cancelled so it is vital to shop around and find an annuity that is the best match for your individual circumstances and needs. It is also important to be aware that many annuities have additional bells and whistles that can be added to the product. For instance, some annuities have the option of adding features whereby your income will continue to be paid to your partner or beneficiaries for a certain fixed period even after you are gone.

You could protect your income from being eroded by inflation by adding an escalating feature, where the annuity payments increase by a certain percentage each year or by investing in an inflation linked annuity, where the payments depend on the Retail Price Index. Naturally, adding extra bells and whistles such as these will generally impact payments in the initial stage – so that, for example, an escalating annuity will pay less than a conventional level annuity at the start of the annuity.

It is important to understand the details of how the annuity works before investing. The key to getting the perfect annuity is to use different tools and options to make the annuity work for you, and to strike the right balance between the level of income you need immediately, and the level of income you would ideally like to receive in the future.

Health Condition Qualifications for Enhanced Annuity Plan?

Choosing an annuity is one of the most significant and important decisions of one’s life, as once chosen an annuity cannot be cancelled or reversed. An annuity converts your pension savings into a regular guaranteed income for a fixed period of time, or for as long as you live. There are many different types of annuities, and several annuity providers. It is therefore important to shop around and use the open market option before making a commitment. An enhanced annuity plan is a type of annuity scheme, which can pay a considerably higher income to those who qualify.

Recent research shows that a high proportion of pensioners could be eligible for an enhanced annuity plan, but are simply not aware of this. Therefore, by signing on to an annuity plan that pays significantly lower income than they could receive with an impaired or enhanced annuity plan, many people lose out on thousands of pounds per year.

An annuity is one of the most important, and often the sole source of income during retirement. It is therefore vital to make sure that you are getting the best deal and optimising your pension savings through an annuity. There are simple ways to check if you could qualify for an Enhanced Annuity Plan, but first let’s understand what an enhanced annuity is.

An impaired or enhanced annuity plan is available to those who have a shorter than average life expectancy. Based on this, insurance companies can afford to pay more, since the expected term of the annuity is shorter than in a conventional case. Insurers use the applicant’s health condition and lifestyle habits to determine whether they are eligible for an impaired annuity.

Some common health conditions that qualify for an enhanced annuity plan are heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity among others. Lifestyle habits include regular smoking. If you suffer from these or other health conditions or are a smoker, you may be eligible to receive a much higher income from your annuity than a conventional annuity.

An independent financial advisor can help you find out if you would qualify for an enhanced annuity. An IFA can also guide you through the pros and cons of each annuity type and help you make the right choice. You could also use a simple online tool available on many websites, to determine whether you qualify. Many annuity companies offer an enhanced annuity plan questionnaire or form to determine whether an applicant could potentially qualify for an enhanced annuity. The form generally consists of simple health and lifestyle related questions.

Which Retirement Annuity is Right for You?

Consumers have a variety of options available to them as they approach their retirement years. Not only do consumers have to choose between different investment strategies, but within those strategies lie another series of options available to the consumer. This is especially true when it comes to retirement annuities, a very popular option for many consumers. Retirement annuities offer several unique benefits to the consumer. However, there are several different annuities from which to choose, which can present a challenge to the consumer as they choose between their options. Each retirement annuity offers unique advantages to the consumer and with so many options there is one available for every unique consumer situation

Conventional Annuities

Conventional annuities work best for those consumers who are most focused on stability. This retirement annuity guarantees a level of income for the rest of the consumer’s life, regardless of any performance in the financial markets.

Variable Annuities

Variable annuities are a form of the retirement annuity that works best for those consumers interested in taking a risk. These income payments are typically lower than a conventional annuity but can pay out higher return as they are linked to investments in the financial markets.

Investment-linked Annuities

This retirement annuity is linked to specific underlying investments and can offer large payments to the consumer. Similar to variable annuities, this type of retirement annuity is a best fit for those consumers who are willing to take a risk with their retirement and pension savings.

Enhanced Annuities

Enhanced Annuities are a very unique kind of retirement annuity. This annuity is perfect for those consumers who are looking to take advantage of a higher annuity payment, based on their health or lifestyle status. This retirement annuity does require a specific eligibility requirement but can be worthwhile the assessment process for those who qualify, as payments are  usually increased since the insurer assumes that given the health condition, the consumer will have a shortened lifespan.

Fixed Term Annuities

Consumers who are looking for some more flexibility with their investment will benefit from a fixed term annuity. This retirement annuity offers a set income amount over the course of a predetermined period of time. This retirement annuity allows the consumer to budget for the period of time in which they are receiving payments, without having to worry about any impact from the financial markets, as the income is guaranteed for the predetermined time period.